Brian May, 77, hits back as badger cull documentary sparks BBC bias row
Brian May's BBC documentary about badger culling has sparked some claims of 'bias'
BBC
Queen legend Sir Brian May has shared his thoughts after his upcoming documentary against badger culling sparked a row about BBC "bias".
May, 77, has pointed out new research shows cattle could be passing bovine tuberculosis (bTB) between themselves, with badgers seemingly not a significant factor in the spread of the disease despite the popular belief.
The Queen guitarist helped conduct the research, which will be shown in BBC documentary, Brian May: The Badgers, the Farmers and Me, this week.
He said his campaigning against badger culling "has become as important to me as music," the broadcaster reports.
Cattle are frequently tested and destroyed if the disease is found, and more than 50,000 were slaughtered in the UK between April and March this year.
However, others have continued to argue badgers do in fact contribute to the spread of the disease and culling is necessary.
Countryside campaigners warned BBC boss Tim Davie that commissioning the film is "fundamentally incompatible" with the BBC's impartiality rules.
Since 2013, tens of thousands of badgers have been killed in England in attempts to halt the spread of the disease to cattle.
In a letter to Davie, Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, accused the Corporation of allowing a campaigner with "clearly partisan views" to front a current affairs programme.
May appeared to have been commissioned by the BBC "precisely because of his partisan activism and the profile he has built for himself surrounding it," he wrote, adding: "The decision to do so is fundamentally incompatible with the BBC's obligation to be impartial."
Brian May took to Instagram to hit back at claims of 'bias'
Culling is hugely controversial, with wildlife campaigners arguing it isn't effective and is "inhumane". Meanwhile, farmers continue to advocate for its necessity.
On Monday, May made his feelings clear on the bias claims by posting an article headline to his Instagram and sharing a lengthy statement beneath it.
The MailOnline headline which May shared on the post reads: "BBC is accused of being 'biased' for showing controversial Sir Brian May documentary about badger culling".
Hitting back, he wrote in the caption: "Hardly surprising that the Countryside Alliance want to stop you seeing our documentary - the result of 12 years research into how the disease of bovine TB is actually transmitted.
"The CA's remit, of course, is to try to ensure that blood sports continue, and they represent hunters and shooters. These are the very people who find employment killing badgers in the Cull Zones, and they get paid a large fee per badger killed.
"It's easy to see that the CA has a vested interest in making sure the badger culls [continue]. To date, around 230,000 badgers have been slaughtered in the UK.
"Imagine how much money is being made here. We can see also that they have a vested interest in TB NOT being eradicated.
Brian May's BBC documentary about badger culling has sparked some claims of 'bias'
BBC
"So it's no wonder that these people would prefer that you didn't see our film. Hopefully, the BBC will stand firm.
"The documentary is scrupulously fair and honest, and it means a lot to me that the plight of the farmers is well and sympathetically represented. Bri." (sic)
After the commissioned research, May argued that improving farm hygiene could provide a solution to the issue of bTB and its spread.
He told the BBC: "The spread of bTB is from cow to cow and it’s because of inefficient hygiene situations. Biosecurity in the old days meant keeping the badgers out but now means keeping the slurry away from the cows so they can’t infect each other."
He continued: "At the root of it all there are certain principles which need to be followed which are really keeping the pathogen from progressing throughout a herd, cutting off its line of transmission. Everything is within the herd."
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Brian May has hit back at opinions surrounding his badger culling documentary
BBC
He also said he didn't blame the farming community for "suspicion and hostility" but instead hopes he can "make a change and offer hope".
"We’ve been 12 years on this trail and we’ve made discoveries that no one else has made," he added.
The broadcaster also reported how Professor Christianne Glossop, the chair of the Royal Veterinary College's Animal Care Trust, explained: "TB can arrive on a farm through an infected animal, through dirty boots being walked on to a farm, indeed the possibility of infected slurry being spread in the fields next door.
"It's also possible that other infected species, including the badger, may introduce infection onto a farm."
Speaking to GB News, a BBC spokesperson said: "While this is a first-person piece authored by Sir Brian May, the documentary hears from numerous voices in the debate on badger culling, including farmers. The BBC adheres to strict editorial guidelines on impartiality on this matter."